Mall Cop

[c1ue]

Re: Mall Cop

As a former sailboat owner and ex-marine engineer I would be happy to give advice on how to achieve this.

Bobola,

In 1998, I had a choice between moving to Japan or moving the the Bay Area. I looked at housing prices in the Bay Area and said 'no way', and actively investigated buying a boat to live on.

After all, a decent used 40+ footer was $200K back then while a decent house was $500K.

But ultimately both choices weren't too good: my impression of the maintenance cost of said boat plus risk from fuel costs was that the net expense wasn't dramatically different.

Perhaps you can comment more on mooring costs, hull scraping, etc.

Don't forget also that any state which has real property taxes - this applies especially to boats.

[GRG55]

Re: Mall Cop

Bobola,

In 1998, I had a choice between moving to Japan or moving the the Bay Area. I looked at housing prices in the Bay Area and said 'no way', and actively investigated buying a boat to live on.

After all, a decent used 40+ footer was $200K back then while a decent house was $500K.

But ultimately both choices weren't too good: my impression of the maintenance cost of said boat plus risk from fuel costs was that the net expense wasn't dramatically different.

Perhaps you can comment more on mooring costs, hull scraping, etc.

Don't forget also that any state which has real property taxes - this applies especially to boats.

Nobody is likely to find the fuel costs for a sailboat particularly onerous*.

The downside of a sailboat as a live-aboard is that for a given hull length the interior volume in a mono-hull sailboat is quite a bit less than a motor-yatch.

* [During last summer's charter we used less than 10 US gallons of diesel in a week on a 43-footer we had out on the water every day].

[GRG55]

Re: Mall Cop

Bill,

So true.
Folks are dumping their luxury stuff and great deals are out there.

The same is probably true for airplanes, motor homes, and vacation homes..??

G55, it might surprise you to hear that Cartagena, Columbia is a very safe place to visit by boat - have heard that over and over from folks who have been there. Venezuela is another story.

Thanks for the info. I understand from a few friends who also sail that the BVI may be an exception in the Caribbean as well. I prefer to sail in places where I don't have to worry about stashing the dinghy and outboard, and locking up the boat every time I step off it. I suspect the values and attitudes in Colombia are different than across the isthmus in the Carib.